Giving Thanks for Vegetables

Thanksgiving may not be a French holiday, but as a celebration of the fall harvest it is a reflection of the approach the French take to food all year round—the use of fresh seasonal ingredients served at their prime moment. Turkey is, of course, the centerpiece of the feast, the sine qua non. If you’re not a fan of this often dry and tasteless bird, stay tuned for next week’s article on brining a turkey to turn it into something far more succulent than you could have imagined. But for many of us the real glory of Thanksgiving lies in the dishes that accompany the turkey. This is one of the few meals of the year where vegetables are never a mere afterthought. And furthermore, we eat a plethora of side dishes—dishes that are beloved and often traditions of long standing within a family. I would never ask you to go without your favorite mashed potatoes or green beans almandine or whipped rutabagas or creamed onions or sage stuffing or cranberry sauce or whatever means Thanksgiving to your family. But every year I like to try a couple of new dishes, and some of them have gained tradition status; here are four. Red Onion Confit This is a delicious accompaniment to turkey; I—sacrilege!—prefer it to cranberry sauce (although I always make one of those too). It’s also great with any poultry, especially duck or goose, and with pork or ham. Keep in mind that it’s a condiment, almost a chutney, very intense in flavor, so serve small amounts. It keeps very well, so make it a week ahead of time and refrigerate it; reheat before serving. It also freezes perfectly well. 1/2 stick butter2 pounds red onions, halved from top to bottom and sliced thin1/4 cup sugar (or more)1 large clove garlic, minced fine1/2 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar1/4 cup water1/2 cup raisins, preferably golden, covered with boiling water, soaked for 1/2 hour, and drained1 bay leaf2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or thyme leaves, or a generous 1/2 teaspoon dried Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions and sugar in the butter, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the fragrance is strong, about a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring from time to time, until the confit is thickened. Taste it for sweetness; you may want to add more sugar, and you almost certainly will if you’ve used red wine vinegar instead of balsamic. Serve hot or warm. Makes about 2 cups. Roasted Root Vegetables The exact vegetable components of this dish are up to you. It can be as simple as carrots and parsnips, or a mixture of every root vegetable you can find. I won’t give you quantities, since this is more a procedure than a recipe, but I will tell you that when you roast the vegetables, they must be in a single layer or they won’t caramelize and have good flavor. Choose from among the following vegetables according to your taste: carrots, parsnips, white turnips, rutabaga, celery root, pearl onions, whole peeled garlic cloves. (Note that beets don’t work here because they bleed onto the other vegetables and make the dish unattractive.) Trim them and peel them, then cut into largeish bite-sized pieces (in the vicinity of 1 1/2 inches), remembering that they will shrink substantially during the roasting process. Toss them with just enough olive oil to coat them, then arrange them in a single layer in a heavy shallow roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. If you’re using onions or garlic, don’t add them at this point; add the onions 20 minutes into the roasting time, and the garlic 40 minutes into the roasting time to prevent them from burning. Place the roasting pan in a preheated 400-degree oven. After 20 minutes, use a pancake turner to flip the vegetables over, scraping the bottom of the pan so that they don’t stick. Add the onions at this point if you’re using them. Turn the vegetables again in another 20 minutes, adding the garlic cloves if you’re using them. The total roasting time will depend on the size of the vegetables and how well-done you like them. I think they should be well-caramelized and no longer crunchy, which will take about an hour and a quarter total roasting time; if you prefer them less well-done, take them out of the oven earlier, perhaps in as little as 45 minutes. Toss the finished vegetables with a tiny bit more oil if they look very dry, and with your choice of minced fresh herbs: thyme, sage, and/or rosemary. (If you can’t find fresh herbs, toss the finished vegetables, while they’re still in the roasting pan, with a little oil and the dried herbs, then return them to the oven for 3-4 minutes and stir again before serving. Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Bacon These are Brussels sprouts for people who don’t like Brussels sprouts—and people who do, of course. In fact, if you don’t tell people what they’re eating, they’ll probably never guess. When you shop for sprouts, buy small ones if you possibly can. For this recipe it’s not necessary to have them be of uniform size. Trim off the bases and then slice them crosswise into 1/4-inch ribbons. In a large skillet over medium heat cook 1 slice of roughly chopped thick-sliced bacon for every 2 cups of whole sprouts that you started out with. When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside on paper towels to drain. Pour off most of the bacon fat in the pan—you want just enough to film the bottom lightly. Add 1 minced shallot for every 2 cups whole sprouts and sauté, stirring, until softened. Then add the shredded sprouts and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are just barely tender; they should…